Horticulture businesses across Victoria are preparing for the upcoming harvest and, for many, managing the workforce will be crucial as they find new ways to attract and retain workers.
To support business to manage this challenge, Agriculture Victoria is providing free, one-on-one horticulture workforce planning sessions with workforce recruitment and HR specialists Meridian Agriculture.
Agriculture Victoria’s Statewide Seasonal Workforce Coordinator Aimee McCutcheon said the sessions will help individuals develop business plans with a focus on identifying workforce needs, attracting and retaining workers and increasing skills development capabilities.
“These free one-on-one sessions will help horticulture businesses to identify where they can improve their HR and recruitment processes,” Ms McCutcheon said.
“This may include offering a workplace that is more inviting, adaptable and inclusive, writing better position descriptions and job ads, finding new sources of workers or reviewing management processes.”
The sessions are part of Agriculture Victoria’s Horticulture Business Workforce Planning Program, which has included a review of the 2020–21 harvest season, and several industry workshops.
“Agriculture Victoria has been working with industry and farmers and we have heard the challenges businesses experienced last year with seasonal workforce issues,” Ms McCutcheon said.
“We have also heard of the opportunities, where businesses have adapted with new practices, used various labour sources and made their businesses more attractive to workers.”
To take part in an individual session, managers or business owners need to .
The individual business will have a two-hour session with a Meridian Agriculture HR consultant, with a one-hour follow-up session to check progress and gain additional support.
“This is the opportunity to participate in a strategic planning session focussing on the workforce of your business,” Ms McCutcheon said.
“It will give you the opportunity to reflect on what is working well within your business, areas to focus on and create an action plan that will enable you to do everything within your control to attract and manage workers vital to your business.”
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